Harrison County

Harrison County, Ohio — key demographics (latest Census/ACS)

Population size

• 14,073 (2023 population estimate)
• 14,483 (2020 Census)

Age

• Under 18: 21.1%
• 18 to 64: 57.4% (derived)
• 65 and over: 21.5%

Gender

• Female: 49.8%
• Male: 50.2%

Racial/ethnic composition

• White alone: 93.9%
• Black or African American alone: 3.2%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%
• Asian alone: 0.2%
• Two or more races: 2.4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race): 1.0%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 93.1%

Household and housing

• Households: 5,844
• Persons per household: 2.37
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: 79.1%
• Housing units: 8,386

Insights

• Population has declined about 2.8% since 2020.
• Older age profile: more than one in five residents are 65+, above the national share.
• Racial composition is predominantly non-Hispanic White.
• High homeownership and small household size typical of rural Ohio counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2023 Population Estimates; 2018–2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates/QuickFacts.

Harrison County, OH (2024 snapshot)

• Population and density: ≈14,500 residents across ≈407 sq mi (≈36 people/sq mi), reflecting a sparsely populated, rural profile.
• Estimated adult email users: 10,480 (≈91% of ≈11,600 adults).
• Age distribution of email users (estimated):
  • 18–29: 1,480 users (98% of ≈1,510 adults)
  • 30–49: 3,260 users (97% of ≈3,360 adults)
  • 50–64: 3,200 users (92% of ≈3,480 adults)
  • 65+: 2,540 users (78% of ≈3,250 adults)
• Gender split among email users: ≈51% female (≈5,350) and 49% male (≈5,130), reflecting the county’s slight female majority.
• Digital access and usage trends:
  • Households with a broadband subscription: ≈80%.
  • Households with a computer (desktop/laptop/tablet): ≈90%.
  • Smartphone-only internet users: ≈19% of adults, indicating a meaningful mobile-dependent segment for email access.
  • Adoption and speeds are strongest in and around Cadiz and primary corridors; more remote townships show lower high-speed availability and uptake, consistent with rural last‑mile constraints.
• Insight: High overall email reach, but lower senior adoption and pockets of limited fixed broadband suggest optimizing communications for mobile and low-bandwidth users while providing alternatives for 65+ residents.

Summary of mobile phone usage in Harrison County, Ohio (2025 best-available estimates)

Overall user base

• Population: ~14.2–14.5 thousand residents.
• Mobile phone users (any cellphone): 11.8–12.5 thousand residents (82–86% of total population), lower than Ohio overall (89–92%).
• Smartphone users: 9.8–10.7 thousand (69–74% of total; 83–86% of mobile users), notably below Ohio’s statewide smartphone penetration (80–84% of total; ~90–92% of mobile users).
• Smartphone-only internet households (no home wireline): 15–18% of households, higher than the Ohio average (10–12%), reflecting patchier broadband and cost sensitivity.

Demographic breakdown (ownership and usage patterns)

• Age:
  • 13–17: smartphone access ~90–95% (near statewide levels).
  • 18–34: smartphone ownership ~92–95% (slightly below Ohio’s ~95–97%).
  • 35–64: smartphone ownership ~85–90% (Ohio ~90–93%).
  • 65+: smartphone ownership ~60–70% (Ohio ~75–82%); basic phones remain comparatively common.
• Income:
  • Under $35k: any-cell ownership ~88–92%, smartphone ~75–82%; prepaid plans and budget Android devices more prevalent than statewide.
  • $35k–$75k: any-cell ~94–97%, smartphone ~85–90%.
  • $75k+: near-universal smartphone ownership (>95%).
• Education:
  • High school or less: smartphone ownership ~78–85% (below Ohio’s ~85–90%).
  • Some college/associate+: ~88–92%.
• Rurality and household composition:
  • Higher share of multi-generational and single-line prepaid households than the state average.
  • Longer device replacement cycles (~3.5–4.0 years vs. ~3 years statewide).

Usage characteristics

• Plan mix: prepaid share ~35–40% of active lines (Ohio ~25–30%); family plans under-index due to smaller household sizes and credit constraints.
• Data usage:
  • Typical smartphone line: ~12–20 GB/month.
  • Smartphone-only households: much heavier mobile data reliance (often >50 GB/month), contributing to occasional congestion on evenings/weekends.
• Voice and text: above-average reliance on traditional voice/SMS for coordination and work, reflecting older age structure and coverage variability.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Network presence: All three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) provide 4G LTE countywide coverage; service is strongest in and around Cadiz, Hopedale, Jewett, Scio, Freeport, and along US-22/US-250/SR-9 corridors.
• Terrain effects: Hilly topography and lakes (e.g., Tappan and Clendening) create pockets of weak signal and dead zones in valleys and sparsely populated townships, a sharper challenge than in most Ohio counties.
• 5G availability:
  • Low-band 5G: broad population coverage, but speeds often similar to strong LTE.
  • Mid-band 5G (higher-capacity): concentrated near population centers and major roads; coverage is materially spottier than Ohio’s metro/suburban counties.
  • mmWave: effectively absent.
• Performance:
  • Typical rural 5G/LTE download speeds: ~30–100 Mbps with wide variability by location and carrier; upload often 3–15 Mbps. These medians trail Ohio’s metro/suburban benchmarks, where 5G mid-band routinely delivers 150–300+ Mbps.
• Backhaul and buildout:
  • Recent state and federal rural-broadband grants are extending fiber backhaul to towers and community anchor institutions; incremental improvements are visible along primary corridors, but overall tower density remains lower than statewide norms.
• Public safety and reliability:
  • First responder coverage has improved via dedicated public-safety spectrum deployments, but indoor coverage in older structures and steel buildings can still lag, prompting continued use of signal boosters.

Home internet interplay and fixed wireless

• Fixed wireless access (FWA) from national carriers is available in and around towns and along US-22/US-250. Household adoption is growing faster than the Ohio average due to limited cable/fiber footprints in outlying areas.
• Cable and fiber availability remain uneven; where they are absent, households lean more on mobile hotspots and smartphone tethering, increasing mobile data loads.

How Harrison County differs from Ohio overall

• Lower smartphone penetration, especially among seniors, and a higher share of basic-phone users.
• Higher prevalence of prepaid plans and smartphone-only internet households.
• More pronounced coverage gaps from terrain, leading to greater reliance on Wi‑Fi calling and signal boosters.
• Slower, patchier mid-band 5G rollout; fewer locations achieve metro-level 5G speeds.
• Longer device replacement cycles and more cost-sensitive plan/device choices.
• Faster growth in fixed wireless home internet adoption as a substitute for scarce wireline options.

Key takeaways

• Roughly 12 thousand residents use mobile phones, with 10 thousand using smartphones, but adoption and performance lag state averages.
• Terrain and sparse infrastructure are the primary constraints; targeted mid-band 5G expansions and additional fiber-fed sites would close most of the performance gap.
• Policy and carrier investments that prioritize valleys and lake-adjacent areas, plus continued FWA expansion, will have outsized impact relative to typical Ohio counties.

Harrison County, Ohio — Social media usage snapshot (2025)

Core user stats

• Population baseline: 14,483 residents (U.S. Census, 2020).
• Overall social media penetration (residents age 13+): 70–76% use at least one platform, ≈9,300–10,100 users (modeled from Pew Research Center adoption rates applied to county demographics).

Age-group participation (share using at least one platform, modeled)

• 13–17: 95%+
• 18–29: 84–90%
• 30–49: 80–85%
• 50–64: 70–75%
• 65+: 45–55%

Gender breakdown (of social media users, modeled)

• Female: 52–54%
• Male: 46–48% Notes: Women over-index on Facebook and Pinterest; men over-index on YouTube, Reddit, and X (Twitter), mirroring national patterns.

Most-used platforms locally (share of residents 13+, modeled)

• YouTube: 70–75%
• Facebook: 58–64%
• Instagram: 32–38%
• TikTok: 28–35%
• Snapchat: 25–32%
• Pinterest: 28–33% (predominantly women)
• LinkedIn: 10–15% (lower in rural labor markets)
• X (Twitter): 12–18%
• Reddit: 10–14%
• Nextdoor: 6–10%

Behavioral trends

• Facebook is the community hub: High engagement with local news, school sports, churches, events, and buy/sell/trade groups; Marketplace is widely used for vehicles, tools, and farm-related items.
• Video-first consumption: Short vertical video (Reels/TikTok/Shorts) outperforms static posts; how-to, DIY, agriculture, hunting, and local-history content do well on YouTube.
• Younger cohorts split attention: Teens and 18–24s are heavy on Snapchat and TikTok, with Instagram as a secondary feed; Facebook mainly for family and community updates.
• Prime engagement windows: Evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; midday weekday engagement is lower due to work schedules.
• Messaging channels: Facebook Messenger dominates for local commerce and customer service; Snapchat message volume is high among teens and young adults.
• Content that drives action: Posts featuring recognizable people/places, school activities, public safety updates, and time-sensitive deals; local faces and community references lift ad CTR and shares.
• Small business usage: Facebook Pages and Instagram for promotions and events; cross-posting short-form video to Facebook Reels and TikTok expands reach at low cost.

Method note

• County-level platform usage is not directly published. Figures above are 2025 modeled estimates created by applying Pew Research Center’s latest platform-by-age adoption rates to Harrison County’s age structure from the U.S. Census/ACS, with rural adjustments for platform mix. They reflect likely local ranges rather than a single measured point.